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MONEY

Do cross-border workers get Germany’s €300 energy relief payment?

Workers in Germany are set to receive a one-off payout to help with high energy costs. What's the situation with cross-border commuters?

A woman in Germany holds cash notes in her hand.
A woman in Germany holds cash notes in her hand. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

In September, workers in Germany will receive €300 as part of government measures agreed earlier this year to help people deal with the rising cost of energy.

The payout will be subject to tax and should arrive along with employees’ September pay packets. Self-employed people can deduct it from their advance tax payments from September or when they submit their tax return next year.

READ MORE: What you need to know about Germany’s €300 energy relief payout

We looked at whether cross-border commuters can get the payment following a question from a reader of The Local. 

I live in Germany but I work in another country. Can I get it?

Yes. Due to Germany’s location in Europe, many people live in the Bundesrepublik but work in one of the neighbouring countries, such as Austria or Switzerland. 

And there’s good news for them: cross-border commuters who are subject to unlimited tax liability in Germany and receive income from employment with a foreign employer in 2022 are entitled to the payment, known as the Energiepreispauschale or EPP in Germany.

“The entitlement to the EPP exists irrespective of whether Germany also has the right to tax the salary,” says the German government.

Employers in Germany will generally make the €300 payment as part of employees’ salaries.

“However, the foreign employer does not pay EPP under German law,” says the government. 

Instead, employees in this position will receive the payment from their tax office “via the submission of an income tax return for the year 2022”, added the government.

I work in Germany but I live in another country. Can I get the payment?

In this case, the answer is no. Workers have to be residents in Germany to be entitled to the payment. 

“Taxpayers without residence or habitual abode in Germany, in particular employees with limited income tax liability, are not eligible,” says the German government. 

Vocabulary 

Cross-border commuters – (die) Grenzpendler

Neighbouring country – (das) Nachbarland

Employer – (der) Arbeitgeber

Lives abroad – wohnt im Ausland 

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MONEY

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

Once a year, consumer rights ministers from Germany's federal and state governments gather for a joint conference. This year, improving online ticket sales and better data protection measures are on the agenda.

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

North Rhine-Westphalia’s consumer protection minister Silke Gorißen (CDU) will present proposals for further consumer protections for online ticket sales at the consumer ministers conference (VMK) on Thursday and Friday. 

Gorißen is pushing to make online ticket sales more transparent and give consumers more rights to back out of purchases if they don’t have enough information. 

Under the proposals, consumers would receive more information before purchasing tickets, such as details on the number of tickets sold by each provider and the prices for different seat categories.

Currently, ticket prices are often only visible during the purchasing process. 

The ministers will also consider whether consumers should be granted a right of withdrawal when buying tickets online. 

READ ALSO: How Germany is making it easier for consumers to cancel contracts

“The process of buying tickets is becoming increasingly complex and confusing, often limited to very narrow time windows,” Gorißen told DPA ahead of the conference. “I expect providers to act more in the interest of consumers. The market power of large ticket portals should not result in unclear and non-transparent sales.”

More data protection online

According to DPA, Gorißen also wants users of telecomms services to be better protected when it comes to their personal data. 

NRW’s consumer minister believes providers of emails, chats, or telecommunications services should be required to put measures in place to detect malware that’s designed to steal personal information from users. This should be done at the EU level, Gorißen said. 

Moreover, Gorißen says there should be more information on online safety made available through a consumer hotline. 

“IT security responsibility should not solely depend on the digital competence of users,” the CDU culture minister explained. “Protection against cyberattacks must become a societal responsibility.”

READ ALSO: The German mobile companies with the best – and worst – coverage

The proposals are set to be voted on by consumer ministers on Friday. 

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